CM urged to permit Million March

Leaders of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and other pro-Telangana outfits on Wednesday hit out at the state government for arresting the innocent people who were voluntarily coming to take part in the Million March and urged Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to accord permission for the massive rally which would take place on Thursday.

A delegation from political parties, comprising of former MLA P Rajeshwa Rao and P Laxminarayan from the BJP, Etala Rajender of the TRS, Sandhya of the New Democratic Party, former TDP leader and MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and others met Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the Secretariat and requested him to grant permission for tomorrow’s Million March.

Later, they told media persons that the Chief Minister was favourably disposed to their requests.

The leaders also pointed out that the Million March was bound to be peaceful as they were against violence.

They demanded that those arrested in thousands in the Telangana districts and here in the city be freed immediately. Otherwise the government will be held responsible for the repercussions, they warned. “It is government’s inhuman behaviour,” said Mr Rajender, the TRS Floor Leader in the Assembly.

Mr Rajender warned the government, saying that the arrests would aggravate the situation further and warned that people would not keep quiet if provoked by the police.

Former TDP leader and MLA Pocharam Srinivas Reddy criticized the government’s stand for blocking the people coming for the rally from all parts of Telangana. He also said, “right from morning arrests have been effected discouraging the people from taking part in the rally which will be peaceful.”

The leaders said that “keeping in view the interests of the students the rally was so designed as to remain peaceful right from the beginning till the end, but the police were provoking us.” They appealed to the Chief Minister to control the police from overreacting.

They were optimistic that the government would extend its support to them and their rally.